Most optical catheters on the market today are made in a conventional manner wherein they include an elongated body or shaft containing both image fibers and light carrying fibers. The catheter may also have additional passageways for irrigation and/or for conducting operative or investigative procedures. Sometimes it also will be provided with a steering mechanism for pointing the distal end thereof. Most optical catheters are configured in a shape to do one specific examination. For example, one may be a flexible cysto-urethroscope for examination of the lower genitourinary tract. Another may be a bronchoscope for looking into the respiratory tract. Still another may be a flexible hysteroscope for looking into the uterus. Once any of these devices is manufactured, it is locked into that configuration and generally can only be used for the purpose for which it was constructed. In other words, it is not adaptable for other types of examinations. An exception to this is that in rare instances one may use a flexible hysteroscope for looking into the bladder. If this is done only because the regular scope is broken or unavailable, or done by mistake. There also is a device now available for looking into the nasal sinuses. This is a small flexible scope which has an eyepiece, a steering mechanism for changing direction of the device to allow its manipulation into a sinus opening and a light connector. However, it cannot be used for any other purpose.
Because of the necessity for providing a variety of types and styles of catheters, the cost invested in optical catheters can be quite high, inasmuch as they are not interchangeable.